Stretchable composite thermal insulation material

ABSTRACT

A stretchable composite material comprises a stretchable substrate, and stretchable continuous filament fiber insulation. The stretchable substrate and the stretchable continuous filament fiber insulation are unified face to face so as to be jointly stretchable.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/647,411 filed on Jan. 28, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an insulation material and, more particularly, to a stretchable composite material suited for use in the fabrication of clothing, sleeping bags, horse blankets and other thermally insulated products.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Stretch garments are well known. While offering added comfort to the wearer, they have very limited or poor thermal insulation properties. On the other hand, thermal insulated garments, such as Winter coats, have been heretofore fabricated with non-stretchable insulation batting materials and as such they do not offer stretchability.

There is thus a need for a new composite material that would allow for the manufacturing of clothing and other products offering both stretchability and high thermal insulation properties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a new stretchable composite thermal insulation material which addresses the above-mentioned limits of the prior art.

Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, a stretchable fabric is lined with a stretchable batting to provide a composite material having stretchability while providing thermal insulation.

In accordance with a further general aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stretchable composite material comprising: a stretchable substrate, and a stretchable continuous filament fiber insulation; the stretchable substrate and the stretchable continuous filament fiber insulation being unified face to face in a co-stretchable relationship.

In accordance with a further general aspect of the invention, there is provided an article of clothing comprising: a stretchable fabric lined with a stretchable batting having a continuous filament structure, the stretchable fabric and the stretchable batting being jointly extendable when subjected to a stretching force.

In accordance with a further general aspect of the invention, there is provided a stretchable composite material comprising: a batting superposed on a fabric, the batting and the fabric being respectively stretchable along first and second axes, and means holding the batting and the fabric together with said first and second axes thereof extending in a same direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, shoving by way of illustration a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stretchable composite thermal insulation material having a stretchable insulation material bonded to a stretchable substrate in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-section view of the composite material illustrating the stretchability thereof;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the composite material illustrating the spaced-apart hot melt glue pattern used for bonding the stretchable substrate to the stretchable insulation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 3, there is shown a preferred embodiment of a stretchable composite thermal insulation material 10 suited for use in cold weather garments, sleeping bags, horse blankets and the like. This is not intended to constitute an exhaustive list of the potential applications of the present invention.

The composite material 10 generally comprises a stretchable fibrous insulator 12 and a stretchable substrate 14. The insulator 12 and the substrate 14 are preferably at least 5% stretch. As will be seen hereinafter, the stretchable insulator 12 and the stretchable substrate 14 are secured together such that the stretchability of both materials is preserved in the assembled product, thereby allowing for the fabrication of stretchable thermally insulated products, such as cold weather jackets and sleeping bags.

The substrate 14 is preferably provided in the form of a stretchable woven fabric of synthetic yarns, such as polyester. Depending on the intended application, the stretchable fabric may also be chosen to have breathable, waterproof or other suitable properties. In any event, the fabric is selected to be stretchable along at least one axis, which typically corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the yams thereof. The density of the fabric is selected to substantially prevent the fibers of the insulator 12 to migrate therethrough. The density is preferably less than 15 CFM. According to further embodiment of the present invention, the substrate 14 could be provided in the form of a stretchable membrane or a coating.

According to the preferred embodiment, the stretchable insulator 12 is provided in the form of a continuous filament insulation material made of fibers of infinite length. Such continuous filament materials are conventionally made into a batting by: a) laying up layers of filaments zig zagging and overlapping on a conveyor, b) applying resin to bind the fibers in place, and c) running the conveyor through an oven to set the resins. As opposed to the widely commercially available insulators made of staple or chopped fibers, continuous filament insulators exhibit relatively high stretchability properties mainly along the longitudinal axis of the filaments. One such continuous filament insulation material is manufactured and sold tinder the trademark POLARGUARD. This material is non-woven continuous filament polyester composed of hollow crimped continuous filaments arrayed essentially parallel to one another.

While continuous filament insulation materials and stretchable fabrics are individually available on the market, it has been heretofore unknown to combine them in such a way as to obtain a composite material offering high thermal insulation properties, while being stretchable. In the past, the stretchability of continuous filament insulation materials has simply never been exploited.

The stretchability of the continuous filament insulation material can be preserved in the assembled product by bonding it over one face of the stretchable substrate 14. It is understood that the continuous filament insulation material 12 and the stretchable substrate 14 are oriented relative to one another so as to be stretchable along a same direction, which generally corresponds to the direction along which the composite material 10 will be the most solicited in use.

To preserve as much stretch as possible and at the same time insure porosity, a spaced-apart hot melt glue pattern 16 is preferably uniformly applied over one face of the substrate 14 to bond the continuous filament material 12 thereto. The spaced-apart pattern leaves open areas which permits longitudinal stretching of the continuous filaments after it has been bonded to the stretchable substrate 14. The glue pattern 16 can be applied to the substrate 14 utilizing a conventional engraved roller. Alternatively, a jet spray system or an ultrasound system could be used to apply the spaced-apart hot melt glue pattern 16. Other lamination processes are also contemplated.

The illustrated hot melt glue pattern is a spaced-apart dot pattern. However, it is understood that other patterns could be used as well.

As shown in FIG. 2, once so assembled together, the Continuous filament material 12 and the substrate 14 are jointly stretchable when subject to external longitudinal stretching forces. A second stretchable substrate (not shown) could be similarly secured to the other face of the continuous filament material 12 to form a triple layer stretchable material.

The continuous filament insulation material could also be attached to the substrate 14 by stitching, but the stretch properties of the composite material would then be inferior to that of the corresponding bonded version thereof.

The above described composite material 10 could, for instance, be used as the liner of a cold weather jacket. The substrate 14 would form the inner fabric of the jacket. The other face of the stretchable insulation 12 would be bonded as per the way described hereinabove to a stretchable outer fabric forming the outer shell of the jacket, thereby resulting in the construction of a thermally insulated soft shell.

The above description is meant to be exemplary only, and one skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made to the embodiments described without department from the scope of the invention. For example, although the preferred form of the insulator has been herein described as a continuous filament material, it is understood that other high performance thermal insulators could be used, provided that such insulators have stretchable properties. Still other modifications which fall within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of a review of this disclosure, and such modifications are intended to fall within the appended claims 

1. A stretchable composite material comprising: a first stretchable substrate, and a stretchable continuous filament fiber insulation; the first stretchable substrate and the stretchable continuous filament fiber insulation being unified face to face in a co-stretchable relationship.
 2. A stretchable composite material as defined in claim 1, wherein the first substrate has on a face thereof a spaced-apart glue pattern for bonding the stretchable continuous filament fiber insulation to the first substrate.
 3. A stretchable composite material as defined in claim 1, wherein the first stretchable substrate has a density selected to substantially prevent filaments of the stretchable continuous filament fiber to migrate through said first stretchable substrate.
 4. A stretchable composite material as defined in claim 1, wherein said first substrate is stretchable along at least a first axis thereof, wherein said continuous filament fiber insulation is stretchable along at least a second axis thereof, and wherein said continuous filament fiber insulation is mounted to said first stretchable substrate with said second axis substantially aligned with said first axis.
 5. A stretchable composite material as defined in claim 1, wherein a second stretchable substrate is provided on a face of the continuous filament fiber insulation opposite to said first stretchable substrate, the first and second stretchable substrates being mounted to the continuous filament fiber insulation Such that the individual stretchability of each component of the composite material be substantially preserved in the assembled product.
 6. A stretchable composite material as defined in claim 1, wherein the first stretchable substrate and the continuous filament fiber insulation are secured together at spaced-apart locations over opposed facing surfaces thereof.
 7. An article of clothing comprising: a stretchable fabric lined with a stretchable batting having a continuous filament structure, the stretchable fabric and the stretchable batting being jointly extendable when subjected to a stretching force.
 8. An article of clothing as defined in claim 7, means for joining the stretchable batting to the stretchable fabric while preserving the stretchability of the batting in the article of clothing.
 9. An article of clothing as defined in claim 8, wherein the stretchable batting is secured over a surface thereof to the stretchable fabric by discrete spaced-apart points of attachment.
 10. An article of clothing as defined in claim 9, wherein a spaced-apart adhesive dot-like pattern is applied over one face of said fabric.
 11. An article of clothing as defined in claim 7, wherein the stretchable fabric has a density selected to substantially prevent filaments of the stretchable batting to migrate through said stretchable face fabric.
 12. A stretchable composite material comprising: a batting superposed on a fabric, the batting and the fabric being respectively stretchable along at least first and second axes, and means holding the batting and the fabric together with said first and second axes thereof extending in a same direction.
 13. A stretchable composite material as defined in claim 12, wherein said holding means comprise a pattern of spaced-apart adhesive points provided over a surface of said fabric. 